Charles Waldheim writes on urban abandonment and the origins of landscapeFeb 15, 2013
Charles Waldheim, the John E. Irving Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture, contributed a chapter entitled “Detroit, Disabitato, and the Origins of Landscape” to an anthology of essays on urban abandonment. Formerly Urban: Projecting Rustbelt Futures was edited by Julia Czerniak and published last month by Princeton Architectural Press. Waldheim’s chapter describes Detroit’s depopulation in the context of Rome’s historic abandonment and subsequent repopulation. Citing the landscape paintings of Claude Lorrain, Waldheim argues that the very origins of landscape can be found in the representation of urban abandonment and depopulation.
Photo: Gregory Crewdson, “Cinecitta,” 2009